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Category Archives: Depression

Depression. It is such a small word for such a long road. I want to share with all of you what it is, and what it isn’t. Many of us suffer with it in some form or another and then there are those select few that just don’t understand. So, without further ado, I am going to shine a bit of a light on it, in the Lilly way.

Depression is the severe feeling of despondency and dejection. By medical terms. It is a common but serious mental disorder. So let me bullet point this (I LOVE ME SOME BULLET POINTS YO!):

Depression is a REAL THING. It isn’t something that is just boom you can get over it. IT IS A MENTAL STATE.

Depression can and will affect people in different ways. While some people are hardly able to get out of bed, some will do menial things, like sink into a Television screen. Okay, that sounds bad like I am talking about the scene in “Nightmare on Elm Street” where the TV picks up the girl and shoves her hea….. Okay, stopping here.

Depression can be treated. There are ways to get out of a funk. Whether it is meditation, mediCation or therapy. You can find help.

All of us have periods of sadness. Whether it is a break-up, a loss of a job or home, it comes on. Sadness is a part of every day life and something that will never go away. Depression on the other hand is deeper than that. It is the loss of will. Things that we used to be interested in just lose their oomph. No motivation to get out there and take on the world. It is the feeling of inadequacy. Eating too much, or too little. Now, you might say that these all sound like SAD symptoms, and you are right. They are. BUT it is when they extend past that point, last for a lot longer than usual.

Let’s say there is a girl named Bertha May Magillycutty. Bertha has been in a relationship with Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen. Then Bertha and Smitty break up. She is sad, ends up losing interest, starts eating buckets of ice cream while watching The Notebook. After a few days she gets leveled out and begins picking up the pieces.

Now here is the way the Depressed Mind gets.

Bertha and Smitty break up. She is heartbroken. Cannot get out of bed, she lets herself go. Doesn’t shower, brush her hair. She doesn’t leave the house. She is in a downward spiral. Where the first Bertha began picking up the pieces, this Bertha looks at the pieces all strewn around the floor and gets frustrated by the amount of them are on the floor. She sees them as a wave of pieces that she couldn’t possibly pick up. So she sits in the middle of that pieces strewn floor and loses herself in them.

So there it is my friends. How DEPRESSION is. It is wave after wave of pieces that we just feel we won’t be able to put back together because there are just so many. So we sink lower and lower into the blackness.

It, Depression, interferes with the daily lives of those that it grabs, like a torturous villain. It causes pain, not only to the person being held “captive” but those around them too. It doesn’t at all mean that those suffering from depression is weak, by no means. It just means that we are overwhelmed.

Like I said before, too many times depression is overlooked. It is “diagnosed” as just sadness, or another sickness. But I am going to give a short list of symptoms that we can look for in ourselves or those around us.

Loss of interest in things previously enjoyed. (Hobbies, Sports, etc)

Difficulty in making decisions, or remembering planned things.

Restlessness or irritability.

Weight gain or loss.

Fatigue or lethargy.

Feelings of being worthless, useless, unneeded.

Difficulty sleeping. Either too little, or too much.

Hopelessness

There are many different types of depression as well. I will not go into detail of them, since this is already running long, but there is one that I want to bring up. Bipolar Disorder.

Bipolar is NOT the same as depression. While a person that suffers from Bipolar disorder, does have extremely low moods, they also have very HIGH moods. They can been down and out, or excessively happy.

What I want all of you to know is that no matter how severe depression is, it IS treatable. Using meditation techniques helps soothe over whatever wounds are creating the issue. Find a quiet spot, fill it with candles and smell good things and just sit and relax. Just allow your mind to wander. Lay down if you must, but you need to clear your mind and just allow it to roam. If something comes in, push it out and keep your head clear.

You may also decide that medications are in order. There are many different types out there, you need to speak to your doctor to find which one suits you. Non-narcotic types are out there, just figure which works.

Therapy is a great way to get a handle on depression. Speak about how your feeling with a medical therapist. Just let it out.

Keep a journal. Put in all of your feelings, the pain, heartache and then when you are done with that one, burn it. And then as the smoke flows up into the sky, visualize that your hurt is going with it.

A mixture of all of these could help. But the most important thing is for you to know that you are NOT alone in this. You have family, friends (online and off) that are going to be there for you. Goodness knows that I am.

Now depression is not something that can be dropped at turn of a hat. Saying “Just get over it,” is not a good treatment option. This ‘sadness’ goes a lot deeper. It is the loss of hope and desire. You cannot just dust those off and boom, shiny and new. I wish it would, but it won’t. It isn’t something that can be just shooed away. It is deep rooted and seeded, and the only thing that can help is HELP.

Study about depression. Research about it friends. And remember, no matter what, you can get passed this. You got it.